Best: Pietersen's 186
The tweet from Matt Prior said it all: "Reintegration complete. Well played." The congratulations were for Kevin Pietersen after one of the most compelling Test innings ever played.

Focus only on the match itself and, in the second Test in Mumbai, Pietersen produced a wonderful attacking innings - 186 from 233 balls - on a wickedly turning pitch, an innings that combined great skill, moments of daring and innovation, and utter conviction. It possessed individuality and self-belief writ large.

As great players sometimes do, he not only changed the course of a match, he challenged wider perceptions. Before Pietersen's innings began, England were a doomed team that could not play spin, held together by the resilience of a plucky new leader, Alastair Cook, but seemingly destined for overwhelming defeat in the series. By the time Pietersen's innings ended, perceptions were entirely different. The series was alive again.

It was the context that made Pietersen's innings outstanding. Here was a man who had suffered months of character assassination, a man deliberately made an outcast for several months by England's management to teach him a lesson that would either bring him in line or get rid of him for good. His commitment to England's cause had been questioned and his relationships with team-mates and officialdom had deteriorated. He became trapped in a spiral of parody Twitter accounts, disenchanted text messages to opponents, and ill-judged Youtube apologies. His hurt and bewilderment as the dispute ran out of control must have been immense.

In the Times, Simon Barnes called it preposterous, and a better word could not be chosen. A preposterous dispute had been followed by a preposterous innings. The stand-off, however necessary at the outset, had became so overblown that it almost destroyed his career; the innings was so wondrous that it also seemed contrary to reason.

Worst: The redevelopment of Adelaide Oval
My lowest moment of the year was when I happened upon a video showing the demolition of Adelaide Oval. Do not tell me this is progress. It is the appalling destruction of what was once the most beautiful Test ground in the world. I'm not from Adelaide, I'm not even Australian; it is nothing to do with me, but I will never forgive them.

You can't blame McMahon Services for taking pride in the fact they reduced Adelaide Oval to rubble in only 18 days. You can't blame them for producing a time-lapse video complete with triumphant martial music that would not be out of place in a Russian military parade. You can't even blame them for taking pride in their ultra-reach demolition booms, their cutter-crusher demolition shears and their waste-handling grapples. I don't really know what they are, but now I have seen what they can do.

What has happened in Adelaide is a heist. A financially stricken cricket authority has sought refuge by allowing AFL to relocate in a once uplifting, characterful, beautiful cricket ground that will soon be just another featureless 50,000-capacity stadium.

I am watching the speeded-up video while I am writing this and it makes me despair. As fluffy white clouds scud across blue skies, and diggers rampage around as if drawn straight out of HG Wells' War of the Worlds, I scream at the video, "Why not tear down the cathedral in the background while you are at it?"

Some justify the wreckage by talking of progress, some resented the endless references to the beauty of Adelaide Oval because they saw it as representative of Adelaide's entrenched conservatism. But beauty should not be the preserve of the fortunate few, it should be the aspiration of the many. Now AFL has a stadium in the middle of town and Adelaide has a cricket stadium, no longer the most beautiful in the world, that smacks of betrayal.

Firdose Moonda

South Africa correspondent

Best: South Africa become No. 1
Day five at Lord's. England in chase of 346 mount a steadily rising challenge. At 282 for 7, with Matt Prior and an increasingly cheeky Graeme Swann at the crease, a coup is unlikely but possible. Murmurs become whispers, which become words that if there is one team who could mess things up from having the opposition 146 for 6, that team is South Africa.

Perennial victims of pressure, they were expected to succumb again. Then, the only two underperforming members of the squad, Jacques Rudolph and Imran Tahir combined to run Swann out. The man underrated throughout his career despite being the fastest to 50 Test wickets in over a century, Vernon Philander, was left to mop up and he did. After years of trying, South Africa succeeded when it mattered most. No.1 was rightfully theirs.

The England series win was not only remarkable because South Africa were crowned the best in the world but because they achieved that title with two things they previously lacked: level heads and united hearts. Never before had a South African change room appeared so relaxed, so in control, and so genuinely caring of each other.

Worst: Injuries
When Marchant de Lange's back began hurting during the unofficial T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe, it was brushed off as nothing serious. He was named in South Africa's squad to tour England, but was then ruled out before the series started when the injury revealed itself as a stress fracture. De Lange was due to make his comeback during the Champions League Twenty20 in October; his return was pushed back to November, then December, then January, and now February 2013. If that gets moved to later in the year, do not be surprised.

De Lange's growing pains are similar to those of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazelwood and James Pattinson. The Australian trio are all under 23 and have all been sidelined because of stress fractures. Management of young quicks has never been more important, as the fixture list grows and so does the demand for more firepower.

The year was filled with hamstring niggles, which affected Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis, a quadriceps strain that plagued Chris Morris, an ankle impingement that ruled Lonwabo Tsotsobe out, and thumb and wrist injuries that claimed Tim Southee and Wayne Parnell's summer.

But none of those wounds was as horrifically significant as the one Mark Boucher suffered in Taunton. In those few moments, after the bail popped up and hit him, there was confusion, because in the absence of blood no one knew really knew what had happened. Later the team manager explained in graphic detail how Boucher's eye was punctured and the clear liquid he felt on his gloves when he touched his face was optical fluid. Boucher was forced to retire as he lost sight in the eye, which he has yet to regain. Life, rather than just cricket, was brought into sharp focus, and it was a reality check for everyone present that day.

Andrew McGlashan

assistant editor

Best: James Anderson's spell in Nagpur
Pitches were the focus of much talk during England's Test series in India. Subcontinental slow in Ahmedabad, raging turn in Mumbai, a little pace in Kolkata… then dead in Nagpur. Only once during the five days did it look as though there was a realistic chance of a result.

That came late on the second day, following a world-class spell from James Anderson that left India floundering on 71 for 4. A booming inswinger had dispatched Virender Sehwag, then he returned with reverse swing to remove Sachin Tendulkar (for a record ninth time) and Gautam Gambhir. On a deathly slow pitch, India found him almost unplayable during that late spell. No other seamer (or in fact, bowler) came close to matching Anderson during that game, in which, over the last three days, just 13 wickets fell. It showed why - if occasionally to some derision - he is often mentioned in same breath as Dale Steyn. Anderson transcended the conditions and nobody in the current era could have produced a better spell.

Worst: Graeme Swann being left out at Headingley
This was a sign of scrambled minds. Their side having conceded 637 for 2 in the previous Test, at The Oval, the England selectors felt a strong response was needed. Their reaction was to drop Graeme Swann for the first time since early 2009. Despite the tough time he had had at The Oval, where Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis had milked him for fun, and he finished with figures of 0 for 151, he remained one of premier spinners in the world. But Headingley does weird things to selectors - remember Darren Pattinson? So England went in with a full hand of quicks, who toiled through much of the first day until a few late wickets evened the scales. However, the biggest kick in the teeth was still to come. On the second day, with another South Africa partnership forming, Kevin Pietersen was thrown the ball and his second delivery spun past Jacques Rudolph's outside edge to have the left hander stumped. Pietersen, albeit with varying degrees of quality, added three more in the second innings, but he was soon being talked about for very different reasons. This was England's nadir of 2012.

Sharda Ugra

senior editor

Best: West Indies winning the World Twenty20
There was a time when West Indies was the world's cricket team. Like Brazil for football. Or the All Blacks for rugby. Affection for them surged around planet cricket, detached from national loyalties, immune to jingoism. When West Indies faded everything - the legends, their aura, what the team meant to millions - greyed into nostalgia.

Then suddenly, for a few evenings last September, everything returned. Not legends nor aura but the memory of what the West Indies cricket team stood for - as much to the Caribbean as the world outside it. A team bursting with fun, style and flashes of excellence (apologies to David Gower for stealing from his trophy cabinet). West Indies hit their stride at the tail-end of the World Twenty20, entering the knockout from the corner of the eye. On finals night, they became the team that hung on to the most meagre of totals, and in the background somewhere, surely, was the haunting echo of their history.

It was their first world title since the Prudential Cup of 1979. Darren Sammy's team turned that silly Gangnam dance into an ebullient, memorable celebration. And tunelessly, tonelessly, we sang over and over the only line we knew of the song that had been tagged onto one team from many countries. "Rall-ay-ayyy-ayyy, Rally round the West Indies." Once again, West Indies rallied us all.

Worst: India's 1-2 loss to England
The outlines of India's 2012 home series against England. Post 8-0, eight months of "Come to India and we'll see ya" asides. A "strategic" instruction to the selectors to pick zero spinners in the India A team for England's first practice match. Post-Ahmedabad, "I don't want to see that wicket" from MS Dhoni, because the bowlers, poor lambs, had had to work too hard. The demand for a Wankhede insta-turner, and with it, a microwavable match. Pitch in popcorn bag, crackle, snap, pop and ping - victory! Oops. Tedious work and silly skill are also required for batsmen to survive and bowlers to succeed. 1-1. Momentum shift to England. No admissions of errors, please. A bicicletta instead at the umpires after a botch-up: for earning handsome payments and not taking decisions. Onward to Eden Gardens, home of miracles. Except, the sweat-drenched miracle is England's. The toss won, again. The match lost, again. The batting imploded, the bowlers faded. The game's long-lasting proverb becomes the moral of the story: you take the piss out of cricket, cricket takes the piss out of you.

Andrew Fernando

Sri Lanka correspondent

Best: New Zealand fans' joy at the P Sara Test win
As dusk darkened to night at the P Sara Oval on November 29, two men emerged from the stands wielding a New Zealand flag, and a banner bearing the silver fern. They bellowed their joy, whooped their ecstasy, and stood euphorically astride the pitch that had delivered their catharsis. It had arrived about two hours before, when Martin Guptill held an edge off Angelo Mathews' bat to complete one of the most stirring series comebacks of the year.

The men at the P Sara had travelled to Sri Lanka during the monsoon rains, and watched their team lose three ODIs, and match their worst Test losing streak in 67 years, when they imploded on the third day in Galle to serve Sri Lanka a walkover ten-wicket victory.

By any usual marker, be it the weather or New Zealand's rate of success, this was a poor vacation. But the pair, whose hijinks enlivened the work of the ground staff finishing up, certainly didn't seem to think their money would have been better spent elsewhere. It was a striking reminder of the love that sustains the game. Without fans like these and millions more at home, there would be no tour of Sri Lanka for New Zealand, no sponsored uniforms, no trophies, no business-class flights, no Test averages or TV interviews - not even the odd captaincy fiasco.

There was no mistaking the two men's passion for cricket in the Colombo twilight. Perhaps one day, New Zealand's cricketers and its administration will be worthy of such support.

Worst: The removal of Tests from Sri Lanka's 2013 schedule
As some of Sri Lanka's greatest-ever cricketers prepare to wind down their careers, Sri Lanka Cricket has moved to deprive them of a home series against arguably the best team in the world. When South Africa last visited, in 2006, they were defeated 2-0, and the two men who have shouldered Sri Lanka's burden for much of the last decade composed an unforgettable 624-run association that delivered an innings win.

In addition to the postponement of the South Africa series to some vaguely defined period in 2015, SLC have also agreed to cull the two Tests they were scheduled to play in the West Indies in 2013, and have replaced that series with an ODI triangular involving India. It is also worth noting that three Tests were cut from 2012's schedule - one of which was almost certainly a casualty of the IPL.

The cancellations and postponements of Test matches are perhaps understandable from a financial perspective, as the struggling board faces a year of lean revenue. But if SLC had not been politically manoeuvred to construct a world-class stadium in the wilderness while a functioning ground in Dambulla was neglected, the board would not have found itself in such distress. Sri Lanka has never been counted among Test cricket's elite, and by removing Tests the administration has not only hurt Sri Lanka's chances of forming a serious challenge to the best Test teams, it has risked the side's regression in the game's most critical format.

forgive my quoting may not be 100% accurate but I loved Bumble's quote of KP "Moving from the far wing into the bedroom" when he was 1st to celebrate with Jimmy Anderson after one of Jimmy's wickets

POSTED BY
2.14istherunrate
on | December 27, 2012, 23:17 GMT

re headingley- I am starting to think that we do not know how to select a side for Headingley. We always used to. Perhaps they should ask a regular Yorkshireman-or maybe they do-to advise the panel because essentially it is in England. Not being a Yorkshireman I got as far in hindsight as selecting Monty for Swann. Maybe. In any case we have to wise up a bit. We continually make a Horlicks out of it. It can be phenomenally fast scoring and haemorrhaging runs is a common occurrence. But wickets,usually ours,can go down a in one heap. And the hotels have dodgey firealarms.Maybe on the night before place all nationals from the team we are playing in custody..!

POSTED BY
on | December 27, 2012, 21:56 GMT

Andrew Fernando correctly points out the disappointment of Sri Lanka cancelling Test series. Have you heard the rumour the the Board is considering cancelling all Tests in 2014 as well? OK unfunny joke.

POSTED BY
bruciewalker
on | December 26, 2012, 16:29 GMT

@David Hopps: sadly the construction men already have their eyes on my own pic for most picteresque ground - the Basin reserve in Wellington. I've only seen one test there (NZ v WI in 2006) but it was worth the trip. Beautiful ground and some great fans. However I understand there are plans to build a multi-lane motorway that will pass over where the ground presently sits. Here's hoping the planners see better of that idea.

POSTED BY
on | December 26, 2012, 15:21 GMT

surprised Isam didn't add his bit...here's the best and worst of Bangladesh:
Best: WI tour of BD...it was all win for BD (even in the games where we lost, there was hope, it was not a case of skills failing us, but of pressure handling). The team played fantastically, mostly without their star-player, Shakib. The quicks took wickets, Mashrafe leading them (a rare achievment for BD), the top-order fired mostly, (Tamim!) the captain and vice-cap led from the front, debutants handled pressure well, Nasir finished things nicely...winning the ODI series was only the cherry on the cake. Team BD proved we are no more minnows!
Worst: Although the T-20 WC was painful to watch in general, the heart-breaking moment would have to be the 1-run loss in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan. The team cried, so did every Bengali all around the world. So close yet so far...it was this loss that united all Bengalis, making us all realise how much we love our country, no matter where we live.

POSTED BY
on | December 26, 2012, 12:28 GMT

highest point: sachin's 100th international hundred.
lowest point: sachin having to retire before scoring 50th ODI hundred as well as india's bare spin cupboard even at home refusing to accept that bhajji is still the best & an even an out of form bhajji is better than an in form ashwin.

POSTED BY
SherjilIslam
on | December 26, 2012, 11:03 GMT

For me - The highest point is Sachin getting the 100th hundred.Lowest point - His retirement from the ODIs. Sorry to say, i am well biased here!

POSTED BY
on | December 26, 2012, 10:28 GMT

Actually the Sri Lanka thing worries me most. Sri Lanka have been a leading nation in Test cricket fortwo decades now and I fear that will fade away. Tests should involve all the countries regularily not just the top four.

POSTED BY
2.14istherunrate
on | December 26, 2012, 0:08 GMT

D.Hopps- Agree with you 100% about Adelaide Oval. If I was a big cheese in ACB I would tell the developers to clear it all up and put it back exactly as it was before. Maybe one of them will. Cultural philistinism at its worst.

POSTED BY
2.14istherunrate
on | December 26, 2012, 0:03 GMT

England best: Well we have just witnessed it in India-the whole show really from Ahmedabad 2nd innings to Nagpur.
England worst: Though I can hardly bring myself to mention it EvSA Oval-SA 635-2 or whatever that abhorrence was, ( At the Oval of all places-yugh!)
Strangely those two markers also contain Anderson's best and worst. At Nagpur he was on a different level to ever before. Onward past 300wkts. He can beat Beefy's 385!

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | December 28, 2012, 9:16 GMT

forgive my quoting may not be 100% accurate but I loved Bumble's quote of KP "Moving from the far wing into the bedroom" when he was 1st to celebrate with Jimmy Anderson after one of Jimmy's wickets

POSTED BY
2.14istherunrate
on | December 27, 2012, 23:17 GMT

re headingley- I am starting to think that we do not know how to select a side for Headingley. We always used to. Perhaps they should ask a regular Yorkshireman-or maybe they do-to advise the panel because essentially it is in England. Not being a Yorkshireman I got as far in hindsight as selecting Monty for Swann. Maybe. In any case we have to wise up a bit. We continually make a Horlicks out of it. It can be phenomenally fast scoring and haemorrhaging runs is a common occurrence. But wickets,usually ours,can go down a in one heap. And the hotels have dodgey firealarms.Maybe on the night before place all nationals from the team we are playing in custody..!

POSTED BY
on | December 27, 2012, 21:56 GMT

Andrew Fernando correctly points out the disappointment of Sri Lanka cancelling Test series. Have you heard the rumour the the Board is considering cancelling all Tests in 2014 as well? OK unfunny joke.

POSTED BY
bruciewalker
on | December 26, 2012, 16:29 GMT

@David Hopps: sadly the construction men already have their eyes on my own pic for most picteresque ground - the Basin reserve in Wellington. I've only seen one test there (NZ v WI in 2006) but it was worth the trip. Beautiful ground and some great fans. However I understand there are plans to build a multi-lane motorway that will pass over where the ground presently sits. Here's hoping the planners see better of that idea.

POSTED BY
on | December 26, 2012, 15:21 GMT

surprised Isam didn't add his bit...here's the best and worst of Bangladesh:
Best: WI tour of BD...it was all win for BD (even in the games where we lost, there was hope, it was not a case of skills failing us, but of pressure handling). The team played fantastically, mostly without their star-player, Shakib. The quicks took wickets, Mashrafe leading them (a rare achievment for BD), the top-order fired mostly, (Tamim!) the captain and vice-cap led from the front, debutants handled pressure well, Nasir finished things nicely...winning the ODI series was only the cherry on the cake. Team BD proved we are no more minnows!
Worst: Although the T-20 WC was painful to watch in general, the heart-breaking moment would have to be the 1-run loss in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan. The team cried, so did every Bengali all around the world. So close yet so far...it was this loss that united all Bengalis, making us all realise how much we love our country, no matter where we live.

POSTED BY
on | December 26, 2012, 12:28 GMT

highest point: sachin's 100th international hundred.
lowest point: sachin having to retire before scoring 50th ODI hundred as well as india's bare spin cupboard even at home refusing to accept that bhajji is still the best & an even an out of form bhajji is better than an in form ashwin.

POSTED BY
SherjilIslam
on | December 26, 2012, 11:03 GMT

For me - The highest point is Sachin getting the 100th hundred.Lowest point - His retirement from the ODIs. Sorry to say, i am well biased here!

POSTED BY
on | December 26, 2012, 10:28 GMT

Actually the Sri Lanka thing worries me most. Sri Lanka have been a leading nation in Test cricket fortwo decades now and I fear that will fade away. Tests should involve all the countries regularily not just the top four.

POSTED BY
2.14istherunrate
on | December 26, 2012, 0:08 GMT

D.Hopps- Agree with you 100% about Adelaide Oval. If I was a big cheese in ACB I would tell the developers to clear it all up and put it back exactly as it was before. Maybe one of them will. Cultural philistinism at its worst.

POSTED BY
2.14istherunrate
on | December 26, 2012, 0:03 GMT

England best: Well we have just witnessed it in India-the whole show really from Ahmedabad 2nd innings to Nagpur.
England worst: Though I can hardly bring myself to mention it EvSA Oval-SA 635-2 or whatever that abhorrence was, ( At the Oval of all places-yugh!)
Strangely those two markers also contain Anderson's best and worst. At Nagpur he was on a different level to ever before. Onward past 300wkts. He can beat Beefy's 385!

POSTED BY
InnocentGuy
on | December 25, 2012, 22:33 GMT

Ha ha. Ugra's best moment has nothing to do with India. It's funny because it is true for the wrong reasons. Really, what WAS India's best moment this year? Record IPL sales?

POSTED BY
Chris_P
on | December 25, 2012, 22:31 GMT

Well, I may not be from Adelaide but I am Australian and what they have done to Adelaide Oval is a disgrace. I went to the recent test match & they have totally destroyed the character of the ground.

POSTED BY
Indian_Fan09
on | December 25, 2012, 21:17 GMT

@ Umair Iqbal on (December 25 2012, 12:25 PM GMT)
"I am looking for 1 and only 300+ innings of the year. Where is HASHIM AMLA?"

Dont you remember Michael Clarke's 329*?? His scoring rate was way quicker than Amla 311*

Clarke's 4 double tons plus scores should have made someone's list! Even Bradman had not done it!!

POSTED BY
TheDoctor394
on | December 25, 2012, 20:23 GMT

LillianThomson: I agree that the Gabba has become soulless, and I do believe Australia (with what they're now doing to the Adelaide Oval) is heading towards the mantle of the country with the ugliest cricket grounds in the world, but to say "no-one" watches cricket at the Gabba anymore is rather ridiculous, when the fact is many, many do go, as was demonstrated by, for instance, the crowds at the South Africa Test.

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 17:18 GMT

@skilebow

Please explain how England lost the Pakistan series? I know it is your opinion, but it was pure quality spin bowling that brought England to their knees. They might have not been prepared for it, but that does not mean that you can take credit away from outstanding Pakistani bowling.

Winning defending 145 and also coming back from 99 all out in the first innings requires much more than the other team "losing" the game.

POSTED BY
Last_ride
on | December 25, 2012, 16:55 GMT

Best moment for me as a saffer was Beating England in England and making Front_Foot_Lounge , Hammond , Phoniexsteve , eat their words. Next moment was winning against Australia in Australia and doing the same to Randyoz, Jonsey2 , Marcio.

POSTED BY
Supa_SAFFA
on | December 25, 2012, 16:51 GMT

The best: that South Africa wrested the Test mace from England and banged it all over the Aussies' heads (okay, that would strictly speaking be two highlights).
The worst: that South Africa lost in a T20 series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe - twice (okay, that's strictly speaking three low points). The point remains that no other team can reach the highest of highs together with the lowest of lows like quite like SA can, and that's why we love this team. Forever Proteas !!

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | December 25, 2012, 16:14 GMT

WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IN 2013 FROM ENGLAND -

1 - Try out the 5/1/5 formation - Picking the seemingly much ignored Woakes would be perfect for the balance as either a number 6 or 7 (with Prior at 6).The test side could look something like Cook,Compton,Trott,KP,Bairstow,Prior,Woakes,Swann,Jimmy,Finn,Onions for seaming conditions with Monty and maybe Tredwell coming in for spinning conditions. Also this might mean less need to rest our bowlers

2 - To rest/drop our out of form players - Bell,Broad,Bres. Bell from the NZ tests series and the other 2 possibly from all forms so we can see what others can do.

3- Wright being given a chance in the ODI side.

4 - Buttler coming in at 5 (no lower than 6) in shorter formats.

5 - Our bowlers practicing Yorkers as the stock ball in shorter formats so that the short pitched/slower ball variations become variations and not so predictable.

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | December 25, 2012, 16:10 GMT

FROM AN ENGLAND FAN ON OUR 2012

POSITIVES -

1 - Winning test series in India - while I concede that this wasn't a great Indian side , to come back from a heavy 1st test defeat and after poor tours of UAE/SL to me showed character.

2- ODI form , especially after a poor WC and tour of India and while the tests were most important in UAE

3 - Bad T20 WC - esp from our bowlers. Not changing formation in order to turn around losing series

4- Swann being dropped for Headingly test and Monty not being picked in the 1st Indian test.

5- Performance of certain established players and England's reluctance to drop these underperforming players. - No names mentioned but all 3 have surnames beginning with the letter B. Also reluctance to change formation when we are losing a series

Such a short memory these people holds.:-/ No mention of the English team destruction by Pakistan...Amazing and un understandable..

POSTED BY
Herath-UK
on | December 25, 2012, 12:43 GMT

Well Andrew,I think the Sri Lankans pulling off a resounding win in Durban is much more majestic than the NZealander's but if you thought that was the boxing day in 2011,I would have advised you to reserve your piece until the outcome of this boxing Test.
Ranil Herath - Kent

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 12:25 GMT

I am looking for 1 and only 300+ innings of the year. Where is HASHIM AMLA?

POSTED BY
07sanjeewakaru
on | December 25, 2012, 12:02 GMT

KP's three unbelievable innings against SL,SA,and IND
WI winning t20WC
Adelaide test .....are best
and yes,the worse is
Adelaide cricket stadium massacre -Now it's like funny small Indian ground with even shorter side boundaries and shortered unique straight boundary.

POSTED BY
skilebow
on | December 25, 2012, 11:59 GMT

Also, at the risk of a huge backlash I would say that i've always felt England lost the test series in the UAE rather than Pakistan won it (excluding Ajmal and Rehman of course). Not many Pakistan players covered themselves in glory either

POSTED BY
skilebow
on | December 25, 2012, 11:54 GMT

Why would an Englishman have anything other than an English perspective. These are personal highs and lows. Although I would have picked the second innings in the 2nd test in the UAE as my low. A game England should have won. But it is a personal opinion

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 11:47 GMT

So, the number 2 team in the world downs the number 1 team and it's one of the best moments of 2012, but the number 5 team destroys the number 1 team in every possible way and then some, but it doesn't deserve a mention? Nice going, leading cricket editors in the world! Nice going!

POSTED BY
jbgardener
on | December 25, 2012, 11:43 GMT

Headingley was definitely England's low point in 2012. Specifically the decision to allow KP anywhere near the press when he was so obviously about to throw his toys out of his cot - I don't recall a media liasion officer owning up to this particular faux pas which effectively scotched any chance of the whole spat being handled intelligently within the dressing room. Who was on media duty that day at Headingley?

POSTED BY
waspsting
on | December 25, 2012, 11:40 GMT

If I had a 100 votes for "worst" - all 100 would go to Mark Bouncher's injury. Dreadful, unfortunate stuff.
Best I'd give to Pietersen's innings - a genuine looked-like-he-was-batting-on-a-different-pitch from everyone else effort - absolutely magnificent

I think Pakistan historic win in Abu Dhabi stands above any other performanceme mentioned here, no one gave Pakistan a chance to win that test match and it was only the 2nd time in the history that England failed to score 150 chasing in the 4th innings. It has to be the best moment of 2012.

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 11:13 GMT

@Vichan, We, Pakistanis are not whining on not being on that list, but we are protesting about what we think was one of the 'highs' of 2012, Pakistan, then ranked no. 7 I guess, beaten a side which ranked no. 1 at that time, doesnt it deserve a mention?? Like New Zealand's win over Srilanka was a good achievement, but it was not as good as Pakistan beating England in UAE! Thats the same England side which has recently beaten India in India! Come on mate, wake up..

POSTED BY
vichan
on | December 25, 2012, 10:48 GMT

What's with the Pakistani fans feeling angry about the lack of mention of their team? There is no mention of the Australian team either. Or Bangladesh. Or Zimbabwe. This piece is the PERSONAL highs and lows experienced by each journalist. For example, David Hopps' despair at the demolition of the Adelaide Oval It's not meant to be a "best performance of the year" or "worst performance of the year" article.

POSTED BY
LillianThomson
on | December 25, 2012, 9:14 GMT

For my Pakistani friends on this thread, don't despair.

David Hopps' nomination of Pietersen's innings in India as a highlight carries implicit with it the mastery which Ajmal and Rehman enjoyed over him at the start of the year. Pietersen's mastery of spin was so impressive because he had failed against in in the Pakistan series, and had clearly rebuilt his game.

Pakistan did brilliantly in Tests in 2012, with the exception of losing the First Test - and series - in Sri Lanka by turning up unprepared.

They need to prepare a lot more seriously if they are to do themselves justice in South Africa. Ideally, they should already be there now.

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 8:00 GMT

No mention of Saeed Ajmal or Pakistan's 3-0 whitewash. Media doing their best to sweep that under the carpet. Typical.

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 7:56 GMT

I am not being self centred or biased, but did Pakistan play any match in 2012?? I think no, they didnt, and they also didnt whitewash England in UAE, the No.1 test team then... Wow, Pakistan is being isolated even in journalism as well!

POSTED BY
qaiserjaan
on | December 25, 2012, 7:45 GMT

David Hopps : Why u forgot a 3-0 whitewash from Pakistan Hand in UAE ????? Be neutral while writing articles....

POSTED BY
Rally_Windies
on | December 25, 2012, 7:14 GMT

yeah, WI won 2004 champions trophy ....

and was in a good re-building phase until the BRILLIANT WICB, decided to sack Gus Logie and Roger Harper,,, as just rewards for coaching a # 7th ranked team to a world victory ......

never mind they were interim coaches for 2 years holding on, until WICB found a coach.. managed to win a world trophy, and still could not be considered for the permanent job !..

Oh well, i guess it is Gayle and Chanders who are responsible for the rot in WI cricket... they need to be axed, for any chance of a revival ? right? right? So says the all knowing WICB and Ottis Gibson .....

i'm sure they kn ow what they are doing? right? right?

POSTED BY
LillianThomson
on | December 25, 2012, 6:58 GMT

+1 for the desecration of the Adelaide Oval.

I live near Brisbane, where we already have a horrible AFL stadium which nobody attends to watch cricket in any more. Instead I'm going to the Test in Wellington in March to enjoy cricket in a lovely ground.

Adelaide ranked with Lords and Newlands in Cape Town as an exceptional treasure of a cricket ground. But now it's going to be like the Dubai ground on steroids. Sabamac will notice the difference, unfortunately.

You can build lovely sails on a football stadium's roof, but it's still a football stadium.

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 6:35 GMT

As an Adelaidian, a cricket and an Australian Football lover, I am sad that the beauty of Adelaide Oval is gone. However this is more than overcome by the fact that I *KNOW* that if this upgrade had not gone ahead, Adelaide would fall further and further behind the eastern capitals when CA started picking venues for bigger games. A greater travesty (if one must call it that) than having a stadium for cricket in Adelaide would be an Ashes tour without an Adelaide Test, or having to settle for the lesser teams in two-tour summers. Yes there will be some beauty and some history missing, but this will be replaced by that which we in Adelaide would otherwise miss out on: better quality spectator, media and player facilities for bigger matches. Cricket goes on even if the ground changes. But if the ground doesn't change, cricket the business moves on. End of story. This is much bigger than a pretty cricket ground - this is Adelaide hitting the 21st century a decade after it began.

POSTED BY
Sabmac
on | December 25, 2012, 5:38 GMT

I'm an Adelaide resident. I love the Adelaide Oval and was initially worried about the redevelopment. However, I have been fully in support of it for quite some time now. As a person who loves cricket and AFL equally, the ability to see AFL at this great ground far outweighs the negatives. It will still be a beautiful ground and a phenomenal place to watch cricket, and the benefits to the average Adelaide citizen both in terms of extra easily accessible sporting events and also economic bonuses will be immense.

POSTED BY
Trickstar
on | December 25, 2012, 4:50 GMT

@ Cpt.Meanster Oh get off your high horse, the only reason the Indian journalist remained neutral is because they couldn't think of anything positive to say about Indian cricket, if they were so neutral why bring up the 2-1 loss to England. It's all irrelevant anyway because you do realise that all the above are opinion pieces, so of course they are going to be the writers own personal highs & lows, surely your not that stupid to not understand that.
Shame there isn't a journalist from each country to give their high's and lows

POSTED BY
wakaPAK
on | December 25, 2012, 3:43 GMT

Looks like Pakistan never played a game of cricket in 2012.. oh I forgot, only those teams qualifies who play home matches not away. Anyways..
High: Pakistan Whitewashed the number 1 test team England 3-0.
Low: England whitewashed Pakistan in ODIs.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | December 25, 2012, 3:34 GMT

Out of the lot, only an Indian journalist has the manners to remain neutral. The rest are self centred and biased towards their own countries. Nothing wrong in that, but please spare me the 'myth' of neutralism in journalism.. it hardly exists.

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 3:07 GMT

@Sharda Ugra - West Indies did mange to win the 2004 Champions Trophy.

No featured comments at the moment.

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 3:07 GMT

@Sharda Ugra - West Indies did mange to win the 2004 Champions Trophy.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | December 25, 2012, 3:34 GMT

Out of the lot, only an Indian journalist has the manners to remain neutral. The rest are self centred and biased towards their own countries. Nothing wrong in that, but please spare me the 'myth' of neutralism in journalism.. it hardly exists.

POSTED BY
wakaPAK
on | December 25, 2012, 3:43 GMT

Looks like Pakistan never played a game of cricket in 2012.. oh I forgot, only those teams qualifies who play home matches not away. Anyways..
High: Pakistan Whitewashed the number 1 test team England 3-0.
Low: England whitewashed Pakistan in ODIs.

POSTED BY
Trickstar
on | December 25, 2012, 4:50 GMT

@ Cpt.Meanster Oh get off your high horse, the only reason the Indian journalist remained neutral is because they couldn't think of anything positive to say about Indian cricket, if they were so neutral why bring up the 2-1 loss to England. It's all irrelevant anyway because you do realise that all the above are opinion pieces, so of course they are going to be the writers own personal highs & lows, surely your not that stupid to not understand that.
Shame there isn't a journalist from each country to give their high's and lows

POSTED BY
Sabmac
on | December 25, 2012, 5:38 GMT

I'm an Adelaide resident. I love the Adelaide Oval and was initially worried about the redevelopment. However, I have been fully in support of it for quite some time now. As a person who loves cricket and AFL equally, the ability to see AFL at this great ground far outweighs the negatives. It will still be a beautiful ground and a phenomenal place to watch cricket, and the benefits to the average Adelaide citizen both in terms of extra easily accessible sporting events and also economic bonuses will be immense.

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 6:35 GMT

As an Adelaidian, a cricket and an Australian Football lover, I am sad that the beauty of Adelaide Oval is gone. However this is more than overcome by the fact that I *KNOW* that if this upgrade had not gone ahead, Adelaide would fall further and further behind the eastern capitals when CA started picking venues for bigger games. A greater travesty (if one must call it that) than having a stadium for cricket in Adelaide would be an Ashes tour without an Adelaide Test, or having to settle for the lesser teams in two-tour summers. Yes there will be some beauty and some history missing, but this will be replaced by that which we in Adelaide would otherwise miss out on: better quality spectator, media and player facilities for bigger matches. Cricket goes on even if the ground changes. But if the ground doesn't change, cricket the business moves on. End of story. This is much bigger than a pretty cricket ground - this is Adelaide hitting the 21st century a decade after it began.

POSTED BY
LillianThomson
on | December 25, 2012, 6:58 GMT

+1 for the desecration of the Adelaide Oval.

I live near Brisbane, where we already have a horrible AFL stadium which nobody attends to watch cricket in any more. Instead I'm going to the Test in Wellington in March to enjoy cricket in a lovely ground.

Adelaide ranked with Lords and Newlands in Cape Town as an exceptional treasure of a cricket ground. But now it's going to be like the Dubai ground on steroids. Sabamac will notice the difference, unfortunately.

You can build lovely sails on a football stadium's roof, but it's still a football stadium.

POSTED BY
Rally_Windies
on | December 25, 2012, 7:14 GMT

yeah, WI won 2004 champions trophy ....

and was in a good re-building phase until the BRILLIANT WICB, decided to sack Gus Logie and Roger Harper,,, as just rewards for coaching a # 7th ranked team to a world victory ......

never mind they were interim coaches for 2 years holding on, until WICB found a coach.. managed to win a world trophy, and still could not be considered for the permanent job !..

Oh well, i guess it is Gayle and Chanders who are responsible for the rot in WI cricket... they need to be axed, for any chance of a revival ? right? right? So says the all knowing WICB and Ottis Gibson .....

i'm sure they kn ow what they are doing? right? right?

POSTED BY
qaiserjaan
on | December 25, 2012, 7:45 GMT

David Hopps : Why u forgot a 3-0 whitewash from Pakistan Hand in UAE ????? Be neutral while writing articles....

POSTED BY
on | December 25, 2012, 7:56 GMT

I am not being self centred or biased, but did Pakistan play any match in 2012?? I think no, they didnt, and they also didnt whitewash England in UAE, the No.1 test team then... Wow, Pakistan is being isolated even in journalism as well!